What is your book about?
Plain Haven is about an Englisch girl who is sent to an Amish community for her protection after witnessing a crime. She ends up falling in love with the people and joining the community.
Where is your story set?
The story is set in Southern Maryland.
What truth do you hope people walk away with after reading your story? Do your books have a spiritual message?
Themes of forgiveness and trust are woven into the story. We all need to forgive and be forgiven. We all need to trust God to be with us and to help us. I do try to have an underlying spiritual message. I want to offer hope and encouragement in my stories as well as entertain my readers.
What do you feel makes your story stand out from others in this genre?
No other Amish novels, to my knowledge, are set in Southern Maryland.
What inspired the story behind this novel?
I wanted to find a unique way to introduce an Amish community and to blend Amish and Englisch life.
Book Blurb:
Lilly Brandt was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now she is running for her life—straight into a small, obscure Amish community in Southern Maryland. Now as Hannah Kurtz, she vows to remain aloof since she doesn’t expect to be in Cherry Hill long enough to form any attachments. But her head has neglected to inform her heart of this plan. She hadn’t counted on meeting and being attracted to the kind, young man with the amazing blue eyes.
Jacob Beiler, a skilled young furniture maker, has made a vow of his own. After being jilted by the girl he trusted right before he was about to propose, he decides to focus strictly on honing his craft and guarding his heart from any future injury. When Hannah Kurtz drops into his world, she drops into his mending heart as well, thawing the wall of ice he has meticulously erected. Against his better judgement, he allows himself to care again and to trust another woman.
When the Amish community discovers Hannah is not really Amish and that she is not even Hannah Kurtz, Jacob feels betrayed yet again. Will he be able to forgive Hannah’s necessary deception, or will he walk away from love forever?
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About the Author:
Susan Lantz Simpson has been writing stories and poetry ever since she penned her first poem at the age of six. She has always loved the magic of words and how they can entertain and enlighten others. Her love of words and books led her to earn a degree in English/Education. She has taught students from Prekindergarten to high school and has also worked as an editor for the federal government. She also holds a degree in nursing and has worked in hospitals and in community health. She writes inspirational stories of love and faith and has published a middle-grade novel (Ginger and the Bully). She lives in Maryland and is the mother of two wonderful daughters. She is a member of ACFW and Maryland Christian Writers Group. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, walking, and doing needlework.